


Whatever Isn't Cruel To Me (Day Three - First Date)

by swampslip



Series: Flufftober 2020 [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Other, Young Jesse McCree, failed jesse/hanzo, jack's very intimidating in this lbr, past jack/gabe, veteran jack morrison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26807866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swampslip/pseuds/swampslip
Summary: Jack’s faced with perhaps the picture example of who he, as a certified Old Man, is supposed to despise.Messy hair, ripped jeans, piercings, tattoos.“Uh- Hi!” The kid says and steps up to the edge of the fence, glancing behind Jack, “This is… Rude, actually, but can I have a flower?”
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Series: Flufftober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950073
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Whatever Isn't Cruel To Me (Day Three - First Date)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Munchy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Munchy/gifts).



> Title from [Black Coffee by Mal Blum](https://open.spotify.com/track/3j3OPBDeHcWxCPX8V2ZfuE?si=RifbdJVbQQOEWiDraH1S9Q)

It’s been a bad season for peonies. 

Jack’s crouched in front of the planter where he’d planted perfectly healthy seedlings just a few months ago. 

Where brown and gnarled dead stems lay, half-buried in the compost he’d sprinkled around the starts in hopes of them pulling through. 

He sighs and stands, pushing his arms behind his back to crack his spine before leaning against the fence with his chin in his palm, trying to think of what he should plant next in this space to not let it go wasted. 

There’s a blur of denim and leather and silver that’s coming down the sidewalk at a full-speed sprint. 

Jack tenses, straightens up slightly, instinct telling him to reach for a gun that isn’t on his hip. 

The blur turns passes his yard then skids to a stop, turning around. 

Jack’s faced with perhaps the picture example of who he, as a certified Old Man, is supposed to despise. 

Messy hair, ripped jeans, piercings, tattoos.

“Uh- Hi!” The kid says and steps up to the edge of the fence, glancing behind Jack, “This is… Rude, actually, but can I have a flower?”

“… A flower?” Jack asks slowly, not taking his eyes off the younger man as the kid glances up the street and then back to him obviously antsy. 

“Yeah, so, I’m actually late… For a date,” The kid says and points up the street in the direction he had been heading, “A first date.”

“… Okay?”

“And I just, your flowers, they’re real pretty, and maybe one would soften the blow a bit…”

The kid’s brown eyes look up at him with puppy-dog pitifulness and Jack squints down in response then turns on his heel and walks back to a tall Lily with pink and white blooms. 

He snips the base of one then comes back to the kid and holds it over the fence. 

Those brown eyes light up wildly and the kid steps up to take it with a massive grin. 

“Thank you!” 

“Hope… Hope it helps,” Jack says, trying to sound sincere, and it must hit because the kid’s mouth softens into a shy smile before he waves a ring-laden hand and returns to sprinting down the sidewalk, cradling the flower to his chest. 

\--

Jack takes a break for lunch then returns to weeding and exchanging the dying-out summer varieties for their fall replacements. 

The kid is coming back down the street, not a blur of skinny legs but a slumping, pebble-kicking walk of shame. 

Jack presses his lips together and slowly pretends to need to work on something just behind the fence, ducking his head in an excuse to not notice the younger man. 

It takes a few minutes but Jack sees the black-leather cowboy boots stop through the slits in the fence and slowly looks up. 

“Oh-” Jack says and looks down at the flower the younger man is still holding, “So… I guess it didn’t help.”

The kid shifts and shrugs lightly.

“He… Apparently never showed.”

“Ouch,” Jack says sympathetically, “How late were you?”

“Ended up bein’ about ten minutes, and I waited another two hours, but I asked some of the barista and they never saw him.”

“… Ouch,” Jack repeats softly, “Have you- Did you try and ask them wh-”

“He said he changed his mind,” The kid shakes his head and smiles lopsidedly, gesturing lightly with the flower, “I wasn’t sure what to do with this.”

“… You can have it?”

“I mean- S’not like I got a vase at home or anythin’, so I thought I’d bring it back?”

Jack blinks down at the younger man and his brows furrow in confusion. 

“… Yeah, that’s a bit dumb,” The kid laughs softly, “I just…”

“Would you… Would you wanna come in?” Jack asks and feels his heartbeat rising, his mind yelling at him for letting that thought escape, “For a drink?”

The kid nods and glances over at the gate then back up to Jack for direction. 

“Oh- Uh-” Jack strides over and unlocks it, swinging it open and watching the younger man as he hops up the concrete steps, “Name?”

The younger man’s brows raise in surprise and Jack feels his cheeks heating at how awkward that must’ve come off. 

“I mean… What is it?”

“Jesse,” The kid says with amusement in his eyes, “You?”

“Jack.”


End file.
